September 3, 2021
Hundreds of trucks are waiting in long lines at the Iranian-Turkish border in Bazargan, and some drivers are saying it takes 10 days to pass Iranian customs control at the most important cargo transit point for Iran.
The reason for the logjam is unclear, but drivers blame slow operations by the numerous Iranian agencies with jurisdiction at the border crossing, where most of the goods from and to Turkey and Europe is shipped by truck.
A driver in a video published by the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) says the line of trucks stretches 10 kilometers (six miles), with drivers having nowhere to go so they just wait in their trucks.
Around 800 to 900 large trucks arrive each day at the Bazargan border post and different Iranian government agencies, from customs to anti-narcotics and tax collection, each inspect and clear paperwork, with no coordination or efforts to work together to streamline the border procedures.
An Iranian transportation official, Javad Hedayati, told ISNA that, if trade and closer ties with Iran’s neighbors are important for the government, the Bazargan “bottleneck” must be addressed. He said Turkey is much more efficient in its customs and border control operation and is capable of handling up to 3,500 trucks a day.
But that does not explain the current logjam at the border since the same Iranian agencies have been enforcing the same inspection rules at the border for many years.